Combined box and socket for electric lamps.



H. W. LAWRENCE. COMBINED BOX AND SOCKET FOR ELECTRIC LAMPS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 17, 1910.

Patented Aug. 2, 1910.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY WALLACE LAWRENCE, OF DENVER, COLORADO.

COMBINED BOX AND SOCKET FOR ELECTRIC LAMPS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY W. Lawnnxon, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing in the city and county of Denver and State ofColorado, have invented a new and useful Combined Box and Socket forElectric Lamps, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in the cooperative electric lampsocket holding boxes that are adapted to support the lamp sockets andthe ends of the electric circuit wires and their incasing tubes on theceilings, walls and other parts of buildings, and the objects of myinvention are: Firstto provide a simple and practical combined box andsocket fixture for lamp circuits. Secondto provide a combined wall andceiling box and socket that comprises a simple, shallow, disk shapedfixture that is quickly and easily connected to a pipe inclosing circuitwire system and that presents a neat and attractive appearance to theeye; and thirdto provide a combined wall and ceiling lamp holdingfixture that comprises a box adapted to connect to wire incasing tubesor pipes and to receive the circuit wires from said pipes, and that isadapted to receive an operative lamp socket and in which the socket isarranged to be removably secured to the box and is arranged thereinagainst rotat-ive movement. I attain these objects by the mechanismillustrated and described in the accompanying drawings, in which Figurel is a view illustrating the application of the improved device. Fig. 2is a plan view of the box and socket, the lamp being removed. Fig. 8 isa similar view, the cap which is screwed upon the socket being removed.Fig. t is a plan view of the box, the socket being removed. Fig. 5 is abottom view of the socket. Fig. 6 is a side View of the socket. Fig. 7is a sectional view-full sizeon the line 7-7 of Fig. 2; and Fig. 8 is asectional view-full sizeon the line 88 of Fig 2.

Similar characters of reference refer to similar parts throughout theseveral views.

In the present state of the art of wiring buildings for electric lightsthe best practice calls for the incasement of the circuit wires in tubesand of the electric lamp holding sockets in receptacles called boxes.The tubes used may consist of any suitable material or metal, ironpiping being used extensively, and

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed. January 17, 1910.

Patented A11 2, 1910.

Serial No. 538,568.

an electric lamp wiring and socket system is installed on the ceilingsand walls of buildings substantially as illustrated in Fig. 1, in whichthe numeral 1 designates the circuit wire incasing piping, 2 and 2designate the circuit wires incased thereby, 8 desighates the lampholding sockets and 4t the boxes that incase the socket and support theterminal end of of the circuit wires.

My improved cooperating lamp socket and circuit wire terminals incasingbox is adapted to provide a compact and easily connecting anddisconnecting electric wiring and lamp supporting socket and fittingthat is small in diameter and narrow in thickness and consequentlypresents a neat appearance on the wall or ceiling of a room.

In my cooperating socket and box, the socket is preferably made ofporcelain, and the box is made of metal or other suitable material, butpreferably cast iron. The box consists of a cylindrical shell portion 5,provided with a bottom or base portion 6. One or two projecting hubportions 7 and 8 project from the side of the box, depending on whetherthe box is to be used for a lamp at the terminal end of a circuit or isto be inserted in a circuit or line intermediate of its ends, and thebox is illustrated in Fig. l with one and also with two connecting hubportions. These hub port-ions are adapted to be threadedly connected tothe ends of the circuit wire incasing tubes 1.

When the boxes are provided with two hubs, they are preferablypositioned on diametrically opposite sides of the box, but if a lamp isdesired at the apex of an angular turn in a circiut wire one hub can beplaced at right angles or at any other desired angle to the axialdirection of the opposite hub, as shown in Fig. 4:.

On the inside surface of the bottom of the box and on the inside of theside of the shell of the box two lugs 9 are formed, which are positionedon opposite sides of the inside of the box and preferably in alinementwith the longitudinal axis of the tube connecting hub portion orportions of the box. These lugs are short pointed lugs that are castintegral with the side and bottom portion of the box, and they projectinto recesses 10 that are formed in the bottom edge of the base portion11 of the lamp socket. This base portion of the socket also forms itsmain body portion and it is preferably made enough smaller in diameterthan the aperture in the box to leave a clear space all around it whenit is placed centrally in it and the lugs 9 extending into the recesses10 of the base at its opposite sides hold it centrally in the box and atthe same time prevent the socket from turning rotatively in the box. Itis necessary, however, to cure the socket to the box, and while thisfeature of my invention may be carried out in several diitlerent waysand my invention contemplates any suitable method of securing the socketto the box against displacenent, 1 preferably carry out this feature ofmy invention in the following manner: The base 11 of the socket is inthe form of a flange, which projects from the main or body portion 12,and this flange, adjacent to the recesses 10, is of the same thicknessas the lugs 9, but the flange increases in thickness or slopes from therecesses 10 to diametrically opposite points on the body 12. as shown inFig. 6. The ends of the body 12, adjacent to the recesses 10, arerecessed as shown at- 12*, Fig. 3, and swinging buttons 13 are securedto the tops of the lugs 9 by screws 11-, and these buttons are arrangedto swing over onto the flange 11 and project into the recesses 1:2 andbe clamped down upon the flange and the lugs 9 by the screws l l thussecuring the base portion of the socket firmly but removably to thebottom of the inside of the box.

The thickest portions 15 of the flange form diametrically opposite flatbearings 16 and 17 for a pair of contact terminal strips 18 and 19, theinner ends of which extend into reccs. s 18 and 19 respectively, whichextend from the top of the body of the socket to the level of thebearing surfaces 10 and 17. These terminal contact strips are providedwith binding screws 20 and 21. These raised bearing portions and thecontact terminal strips and their binding screws are preferably placedat right angles to the recesses 10 in the base and on the outside of thebase and diametrically opposite to each other, in which position theyare accessible from the front of the socket and box, and thisarrangement enables the binding screws to be easily manipulated tosecure the circuitwires to or release them from the contact terminalstrips, as will be hereinafter fully described.

The central portion of the socketis provided with an axial aperture 22which extends into it from its upper or top side, in which an interiorand also an exterior threaded conductive receiving shell 21 is placed,which is commonly called the receiver, into which the lamp is screwed.This receiver is provided with three outwardly extending feet 95, 26 and97. The foot 25 forms a contact terminal conductor for the receivershell and extends into the recess 18 and is clamped beneath the contactterminal 18 that conducts the electric current from the terminal end ofthe circuit wire 2. to and through the receiver to the lamp. Theconductor 18 is clamped upon the foot by a screw 25*, which extends upthrough a hole in the socket and enters a threaded hole in the saidfoot. The head of the screw is housed in a recess 25 in the base of thesocket. The other two feet 20 and 27 of the receiver are housed inrecesses 28 formed in the top of the socket and are secured therein byscrews 29, which extend down through holes formed in the socket andreceive nuts 30, which are housed in recesses 31 in the base of thesocket.

The contact terminal strip 19 extends from its raised bearing 17 downthrough the recess 19 in the body of the socket to the bottom of theaxial recess 22 in the socket, and then extends inwardly beyond thecenter of the aperture and forms a contact ter minal for the center ofthe end of the threaded plug of an electric lamp. A recess is formed inthe receiver shell above the contact terminal strip 19 to prevent ashort circuit between the receiver shell and the said strip 19. A cap isthreaded to the outside threaded portion of the receiver shell to screwdown against the top of the body of the socket, The combined of the baseportion of the socket and of the outer edge of the cap are equal to thedepth of the box, which being but about an inch in depth by about threeinches in diameter presents a neat appearance when on a wall or ceiling.

The axial aperture in the socket permits the plug end of the lamp toscrew down through the receiver shell and engage the contact terminalstrip 19 with its end, and the receiver shell is made long enough toentirely cover the threaded portion of the plug end of the electriclamp, which insures the largest area of current conductive surfacepossible bctween the lamp and the re ceiver shell. This feature of myinvention. as well as the receiver itself, as shown and described, andthe contact terminals, in substantially the form and arrangement hereinillustrated and described, are disclosed in application for patentgranted to me August 27, 1907, Serial Xumber 556L427: also applications,Serial Xumber l-l-5,1-'l;9, filed July 2st. 1908, and Serial Number502,145.), filed July 16, 1909, and now pending.

The operation is as follmvs: The box secured to the end of a circuitwire covering tube or pipe and the circuit wires are ex tended throughthe hub of the box into its interior. The socket with its cap removed isthen placed in the box with its recesses 10 fitting around the lugs 9,and the clamping buttons 13 are turned on the clamping screws 14: torest on the lugs and also on top of the flange portion of the socket.The

thicknesses clamping screws are then turned to clamp the buttons downagainst the lugs and the flange, thus removably securing the socket tothe inside of the box against accidental dis placement. The ends of thecircuit wires are then secured to both of the contact terminal strips bythe binding screws 20 and 21, which are so positioned that a screwdriver can be applied to them from the front side of the box. The cap isthen screwed onto the receiver shell and acts as a cover for the wireconnections and gives a finished appearance to the box. A lamp is thenscrewed into the receiver of the socket, until its end contacts with theconductor 19.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

I. In a combined wall and ceiling box and socket for electric lamps, thecombination of an operative electric lamp holding socket provided withrecesses at its opposite ends and with binding posts and terminal stripson its sides with a box arranged to surround said socket provided withcircuit wire entrance apertures leading to said sockets bindings posts,lug portions in said box fitting into the recesses of said socket, abind ing screw tln'eaded to each of said lugs and a button. looselymounted on said screw and arranged to be clamped to said lugs and ontosaid socket, and means for connecting said box to circuit wire housingtubes or pipes.

2. In a combined wall and ceiling box and socket for lamps, thecombination of the circuit wires, the circuit wire incasing pipes, andan operative electric lamp socket provided with binding posts andcontact terminal strips arranged therein to conductively' connect with alamp and arranged on the opposite sides of said socket in a position tobe manipulated from the lamp receiving end of said socket, a, threadedreceiver shell in said socket adapted to receive a lamp, and a capthreaded to said receiver shell, with a disk shaped box of any suitablematerial arranged to surround said socket, means including a clampingdevice attached to said box for ren'iovably securing said socket in saidbox, said box being provided with a. hollow hub or with hollow hubsarranged and adapted to permit said circuit wires to be inserted intosaid box to the binding posts contact terminals of said socket, saidhollow hub portions of said box being provided with threads adapted toconnect said box to said circuit wire incasing tubes or pipes.

A combined wall and ceiling box and socket for electric lamps comprisingan open top disk shaped box adapted to be connected to wire holdingtubes or pipes and arranged to receive circuit wires and provided with apair of oppositely a ranged lug portions, provided with a clampingscrew, and a swinging locking button loosely mounted on said screw, withan operative lamp holding socket comprising a base portion provided withoppositely arranged flanged portions provided. with recesses fittingloosely over the lug portions of said box, said flange portions beingadapted to receive said button, said button being adapted to be clampedagainst the said flanged portions of said base and the lug portions ofsaid box by said screw, and suitable circuit wire operative bindingposts and contact terminal strips on said base portion of socketarranged to secure the ends of circuit wires to said socket, a threadedelectric lamp receiving shell secured to said base and arranged toreceive the threaded end of an electric lamp in circuit relation to saidcon tact terminal strips, and a cap threaded to said shell and fittingin the top portion of said box.

4:. In a device as specified, the combination with a lamp socket, havingoppositely arranged recesses in its base, of a box for said sockethaving lugs which extend into said recesses and clamping devices on saidlugs for holding said socket in said box; a pipe extending into saidbox; a metal lamp receiver in said socket; conductors upon the socket,one of which connects with the lamp receiver, while the other is adaptedto be engaged by the contact end of a lamp; binding screws in saidconductors and a cap for closing the box, said cap having a centralaperture through which the lamp receiver passes.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HARRY WALLACE LAWRENGE.

Witnesses G. SARGENT ELLIOTT, ADELLA M. FowLn.

